Any type of rage never leads to pleasant consequences. Road rage in particular can even cost you your life.
Road rage and aggressive driving are one of the most common causes of car accidents in Los Angeles and all across the U.S.
Many car drivers give into road rage with the intent to humiliate, offend or show their dominance against other car drivers.
Road rage can be a combination of intentionally dangerous driving acts that put the lives of other drivers in danger (think: braking suddenly in front of another car or trying to hit the other car’s bumper).
It also often happens that car drivers throw things out of their windows at other cars in retaliation for certain behaviors on the road.
What triggers road rage
There can be plenty of road rage triggers, be it a provocation, a driver changing lanes in front of you or cutting you off, or a driver outdriving your car on their fancy car.
While many people are able to suppress their road rage or not be affected by the above-mentioned triggers at all, other people tend to take things too personally and end up driving aggressively and recklessly to get their revenge or humiliate other drivers.
Here at JML Law, our finest car accident attorneys ride cars themselves and regularly witness road rage that can often be fatal.
Although most of the time only two drivers engage in road rage to compete or outdrive one another, their behavior can cause car accidents that can be extremely serious and involve other cars.
This was the case this summer not far away from Los Angeles. A motorcyclist gave into road rage and kicked a Nissan car, causing a chain reaction and a rollover of a third car. You can watch the video here.
Tips: How to tackle a road rage driver
Whenever you find yourself trapped in a situation with an aggressive or reckless driver that keeps trying to cut you off or outdrive you, it’s essential to do the following to avoid a car accident:
- don’t respond to provocations and maintain your cool.
- do your best to remove yourself from the situation as soon as possible.
- reduce your speed slowly.
- if the driver tailgates you, drive to the nearest police station or stop your car at a public place where there would be many witnesses.
- if you feel like you can’t resist the uncontrollable road rage and feel like responding to the provocations, consider stopping your car to calm down.
- if you got offended personally by the road rage interaction, make sure you forget about it as soon as possible and not get distracted by it (distractions can also cause car accidents).
Pro tip: as difficult as it may be, apologizing can most of the time prevent a road rage situation from spiraling out of control. Consider rolling down your window to apologize for whatever happened. This could save your life and the life of others.
After all, nobody was harmed because of some angry driver’s road rage, and that’s all that matters. Think about how much legal and financial trouble you could possibly get into if you chose to engage in road rage.
How to deal with road rage consequences
If road rage results in a car accident, don’t hesitate to consult our Los Angeles car accident attorney as soon as you get medical help (if necessary).
Holding the other party liable for road rage can be difficult, which is why it’s vital to collect sufficient evidence to get compensated for all the damages of a car accident.
Call JML Law and get a free initial consultation with our car accident attorney – let us investigate your particular case and help you get a fair settlement.
